Not Everything is What it Seems
by ezraSWrebels
Summary: Sabo didn't die. The brothers weren't ambushed by BlueJam. Sabo wasn't taken by his so-called father. This timeline was different. But the fire still was started. This time Sabo could do something about it. This time Luffy and Ace weren't trapped within the blaze. This time Luffy was thought to be safe at home. But maybe this timeline was worse than before.
1. Chapter 1

**This took months. Months. It was not supposed to take that long. But I needed this to be good. I even promised myself I wasn't going to post this until I written at less three chapters in. But it took so much time that I need to see if it is even worth continuing on. **

**Be prepared. Warning you. :)**

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Ace's breath was ragged. He was growing tired, not that he would admit it; especially when Luffy's life was at stake. Sabo, a few meters behind him, was double-checking the areas Ace had already searched. But it was pointless. They had been looking for so long, to the point that the moon almost touched the top of the sea, warning of the night's end.

One could say the brothers had a stable childhood, at least until the fire. If that was true, then it would not have caused so much damage. Though, no one could have ever predicted the outcome.

Weeks ago, when that long hectic storm finally ended, they were left with a less than liveable treehouse. The wood had started to sag and rot from the constant downpour and the wind had blown apart the messily made walls. Not to mention the holes that Luffy had caused with his fly-away punches.

They had planned to rebuild right away, not wanting to live with the bandits once again, especially after three weeks of freedom. But they never got the chance to.

Rumors tend to spread quickly and even more so in the dump, almost like a disease. Overnight, all the residents knew of the nobleman, the one who stalked the edges of Grey Terminal from day to night. Had the boys not overheard, they would have been separated, however; since they caught on quickly, they avoided the place. Deciding it was a danger, they traveled back to the bandits. Even if they hated the idea, it was better than sleeping on the jungle floor.

But then the fire started. Sabo had seen the cloud of black smoke over the tree line and, wanting nothing more than to save the citizens, he tried to drag his brothers in. They disagreed, claiming that it had nothing to do with them. But Ace would never allow the other to go alone. After realizing Sabo would not change his mind, they both raced toward the fire. But not before begging the youngest to not leave the hut before they arrived back.

Luffy never listens.

"Luffy!" With one final scream, Ace clasped to his knees. His throat was achingly sore and dry, the heavy panting did not help. Behind him, Sabo had stopped as well, hands on his knees, trying to steady his frantic heart.

Ace's hands grip the brittle grass and clenched his jaw to hold back a sob. "He...what if…." He choked out between breaths. "Luffy. He might...might be dead!"

Sabo stayed silent for a moment, watching as Ace banged his head against the ground. Taking a deep breath, he tried to release some tension. "Don't be stupid." His voice wavered. "He wouldn't die, not without a fight. He's probably fine."

A staggered growl emitted from Ace. The shoulders trembled while his head lifted back off the ground. Ripping the grass, a small broken sob escaped.

"How would you know!" He responds back. He whipped around, his face was on the verge of breaking. "He's not here! He's alone! Anything could have happened and we just left him!" He paused, realization filled his eyes. "We left him…...we left him…." His voice faded to a whisper. "I left him."

Letting go of the blades of grass, his hands went to tightly grip his head. "No. No. No!" Ace roughly yanked on his hair. His muttering increased before leading into a screeching fit. "No! It's my fault! My fault! It's all my fault!"

Sabo stood frozen, his eyes wide. He was growing worried, never had he seen his brother like this. He didn't know what to do. Everything was going by too fast and his mind couldn't process what was happening.

Then Ace began to scream. A scream that was filled with griefing terror. A scream that knocked Sabo off his feet. A scream that brought him back to his senses. A face full of worry turned to one of anger. Pushing himself from the ground, he took out his pipe. His hands tightly grasped the metal. Sabo bit his lip and then he charged.

The pipe hit Ace's head dead center, effectively shutting him up. "It's our fault, Ace! Ours!" Venom slipped into the blonde's voice as they locked eyes. "We are both to blame. We both choose to leave him when we knew he wouldn't stay. Stop blaming just yourself. We are both at fault." Sabo's eyes softened recognizing the panic in the other.

Ace tried to stutter something out but was stopped. The blond held on to the other's hands and steadily lead them away from his hair. He smiled gently before swiftly wrapping his arms around him.

They stayed like that for a while. Sabo, occasionally, tightened his grip each time a sobbing breath was taken. In return Ace gripped back, a few tears leaked as he buried his head into the crock of his younger brother's neck.

"We need to keep searching." Sabo said as he ran his fingers through the raven hair. The other nodded but neither made an effort to move.

At least, not until morning.

When the heat from the sun had finally hit the boys, it was at its peak. Although, it took far too long for them to fully wake.

A yawn came. Then another. Then two in unison. With stiff muscles, the oldest pushed himself up from the ground. He grudgingly wiped the remaining sand from his eyes before letting his mind soak in his surroundings.

Not much made a sound, except for the few cicadas. But they were paid no mind. The foliage was dense around them. Of course, that comes with being deep in the forest. But even with all the shade from the leaves, the heat was becoming almost unbearable. None of that concerned Ace at all though.

Something to him felt off. Almost strange. But nothing felt or looked out of place. It was normal. He furrowed his eyebrows and turned to kick his brother awake.

As soon as his foot hit the other's leg, it came ramming back. Luffy.

He blanked out. All he could hear was his mind cursing up a storm. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

….

It had been three days.

Three.

Luffy was still missing.

That morning three days ago was a disaster. After waking, they ran straight to the bandit's hut. Hoping and praying.

But at last, Luffy had not come home. This caused Ace to break down once again. He ended up tied to a tree that evening.

The next few days, they searched the forest. From atop the mountainous hills to the wet sand of the beaches. Not a lead found.

They had been avoiding Foosha Village. As well as High Town. Although, it was for another reason.

The boys refused, feard to face Makino and the Mayor. The only people Luffy had considered family before ever meeting Ace and Sabo. Of course, they knew that neither two would ever retaliate or blame, but admitting they had failed as older brothers was something that caused their hearts to ache.

Yet, there they sat at the edge of the forest, looking into the small, quiet village. It was early morning and the townspeople have just begun moving about.

Both held their breath.

The dread settled in.

"Do we really have to do this?" Ace caused the leaves to rustle on a nearby bush.

The blond tightened his frown. "This is the last place we need to check." He stood up from a sitting position. Giving a sideways glance to the other, he set his pipe to lean against a tree. "Besides, it was inevitable. If we want to find Luffy, we can't keep avoiding it."

Ace grumbled. "Fine."

Looking down, Sabo gave a smug grin. He did not say another thing as he started his way out of the forest and down the hill. Once his brother voiced his complaint, he half-assed waved not even turning around. Roughly translated as to get off your ass or you'll be left behind.

The raven raced down after the boy. "Hey! Wait up, Sabo!"

After Ace eventually caught up with Sabo, they had arrived at the Party Bar. A small bubble of worry grew between them. But both dismissed to feeling with the unclenching their fists and pushed the door open.

Inside, surprisingly, held many patrons for the early morning. Of course, all were from the drunken night before. While most were passed out on secluded tables, there was still quite a few wide awake joyfully talking. In the very back, the bartender, Makino, was up. She was cleaning empty beer mugs and dirty plates. The boys tried to direct the full attention to her.

But as they nervously walked towards the back, their ears got wind of a seemingly drunk story.

"I know what I saw!" The older man slight banged on the table. His eyes wide and mouth running faster than his mind. " I'm telling ya! A child's body was thrown into the fire. The pirate just laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever done!"

"Why would some foreign Grand Line pirate come here of all places?" A nearby man shrugged it off.

"Eh. I wouldn't listen to wacky Mak if I were you." Another continued. "He's drunk half the year."

The group laughed as the one dubbed Mak tumbled over his counter words. Ace and Sabo froze, like a deer caught in a car's headlights. What the man had said struck deep. They glanced at each other before looking back at the men.

They had just calmed their laughing fit when Sabo spoke up. "What about this pirate?"

Every head turned to the young boy. A moment passed. The middle one shook his head. "Look, kid. This isn't some bedtime story-"

"Don't mock us!" Ace cut him off. His eyes showed feral anger. "Just tell us what you know!"

"Do you really believe me?!" The old man jumped out of his seat and gripped onto Sabo's shoulders, his face only inches away. The blond opened his mouth to respond but Mak continued on without a response. "It was days ago! I only saw the aftermath. But I swear on my life that those nasty pirates killed the boy!"

The brothers glanced at each other, eyes wide. Sabo gulped. "Wha-"

Mak once again cut him off. He had let go early and now his back was turned towards them. His arms flailed about. "The captain had the body raised over his head! And his follows laughed like it was some joke! I don't know what was said but the men cheered right before they throw the child into the fire." The man's actions made it seem he was exaggerating. He was on his knee now, arms reaching towards the sky. But suddenly they dropped back down. "It's a bit hazy, but now that I think about, there was a second boy on the ground…...he was picked up by someone else and carried into the forest…...Wait, no. I'm thinking about something else." Mak waved the last part off with a laugh.

Ace's hands shook slightly. "Where was this exactly?"

"At the beach edge of Grey Treimal, you know by the High Town wall." Wacky Mak answered. "I'm so glad someone bel-"

The boys didn't stick around to let him finish. The oldest grabbed onto Sabo's wrist and raced out of the building. They need to make sure. Make sure that this wasn't Luffy. That he was still alive.

Even though it had been days, the odor caused by the fire still lingered in the air and upon arrival, the young boys had abruptly plunged their nose. The burning wood and flesh did not mix well. Sabo had to hold back a gag.

It wasn't long before they had caught sight of what was left of a body. Glancing at each other, they took a step closer.

It was hard to tell who it had been. It was charred beyond belief. The thin edges were almost flaking off in big chunks.

"Do you…." Ace began but never finished.

Sabo had dropped down to his knees. His hands no longer holding tightly to his nose and eyes watery.

A strong wind started. While it whipped Sabo's blond curls, it gave some relief with the stench. At that point, Ace dropped his arms to his side as well. Eyes never left the body. But before the wind had died down, something blew past drawing the raven haired's attention.

Snapping his head up, his eyes widened to twice its normal size.

Gliding gentle with the wind was a straw hat. A ratty, old straw hat. There was no denying it. It was the one that belonged to their brother.

Not a moment later, Ace had chased after it.

Everything was fuzzy at first. Sight and sound. Touch and smell. Even taste. It was worrying to him at first. But it cleared up just as soon as it had come.

The first thing Luffy noticed was his brothers. He was in the middle, at both their sides. It calmed him. With a sigh, he smiled.

"Ace?" He looked up to the oldest. "What happened?"

Luffy had expected for the boy to turn immediately and answer. But he didn't. Ace continued to look straight ahead as if nothing was said.

Luffy just shrugged it off, calling the boy a meanie in his head. He instead turned to Sabo. He was the nicest anyways. "Hey, Sabo?"

The blond acted the same, never turning. Worry started forming in Luffy's chest.

He yanked on Sabo's sleeve. "Sabo?!" Then turned to Ace to do the same. "Ace?! Why aren't you listening to be me!" Luffy cried out.

He let go of the sleeves and jumped in front of Ace. As he was about to yell out when he noticed the downcast look. It barely took another second for him to notice that he was crying.

"Ace? What's wrong?" Luffy asked, frowning. "Sabo-"

The young boy looked towards his other brother for help, only to find him in the same position.

The worry had bubbled up into fear. Luffy whipped his head around, looking for any hints. Only something very bad would make his brothers act like this.

When he fully turned around, his back toward Ace and Sabo, he understood. There at the edge of the cliff sat a gravestone. His gravestone.

He wasn't sure what to do. But as he was about to take a closer look, Sabo walked up to the stone.

His hand was placed on top as he took a deep breath. "Luffy. We will become great pirates for you." Sabo looked behind him. "Ace. We are going to hunt down that pirate. He doesn't deserve to continue to live." His brother nodded in agreement as Sabo turned back to the grave. "We will find this pirate, I promise on our lives. But don't worry about us. I'll keep Ace safe, I won't let him die."

Ace took his place next to Sabo. His hand on the other's shoulder. "And I'll watch Sabo. He won't die either."

They looked at each other and nodded Looking back at the gravestone, they smiled softly. "Now rest Luffy."

But Luffy was behind them. His fists were clenched at his sides and eyes tightly shut. He screamed. "NO!"

So loud, it flowed out and around the island. But unheard by everyone.

"I'll keep my own brothers safe. I'll never leave them." He was almost growling out. "I'll Make sure they never, never, never, never die!"

At least not like him. Not alone.

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**Did you see some foreshadowing? Some big things to come.**

**If this does well, I might get the next chapter sooner then I believe I would.**

**Comments actually make me write faster. Just letting you know. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I finished this way faster than I thought I would. So here's a holiday gift! From me!**

**I got so much positive feedback that I just had to write, rather than study for finals lol. **

**But Rahhpixy ****how did you figure out that plot point! Man. Why did you think Marco would be able to see him? I honestly thought no one would guess! lol.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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A breeze brushed past, bringing the salty sea air to atop the cliff. The trees rustled and blond curls waved with the wind. Sabo took a deep breath, his muscles relaxed. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he looked out to sea and smiled.

Todays the day.

Lifting up the backpack at his feet, he swung it onto his shoulders. The bag was stuffed full. It contains almost pour out over the rim. But the weight didn't seem to bother Sabo in the slightest. He just walked forward unhindered.

His mind had wandered as he followed the cliff edge. Memories of the past years few wild. He thought about how, during an intense spar, Ace had knocked out another one of Sabo's teeth. About how they wrecked the hut so bad, the bandits had to camp outside until it was repaired. About how they rebuilt the treehouse in Luffy's honor, one including with a telescope. About how the three of them rob citizens blind. About how they met Luffy and became brothers in a short time. About how he had last seen Luffy. About how-

His feet staggered. He shook away those memories and the feelings that went along with it. He didn't have time to think about him. Today was a happy occasion. That had to be the focus.

Blinking back dry tears, he looked up to see Ace waving from the gravestone. Sabo closed his eyes and sighed. Focus, he told himself. When he opened them back up, he waved in response with a tight smile.

"We don't have all day, slowpoke." Ace called out. His smile wide and bright, an uncanny resemblance to Luffy's.

"Not like I have time to take naps." Sabo murmured to himself. He, however, was close enough for his brother to hear.

But Ace just smiled and laughed. "That was uncalled for."

Once he made it to the boy's side, Sabo wrapped his arm over Ace's shoulders. They met glances and continued to playfully laugh.

After they had died it down to a breathy giggled, they gazed at the gravestone nearby. It was still standing strong after eight years. Technically, it was just a simple, tall standing rock. It wouldn't have changed in the slightest.

Sabo removed his arm and stepped back. He turned to face his brother. "Ready?"

Ace's lips thinned out. Glancing at the other out of the corner of his eye, he nodded. "Look Luffy," He kneed at the headstone, eyes cast down. "It's time for us to leave, to start our journey." Eyes flicked towards the sea. "Don't think we forgot, okay? That pirate won't last another second with us out there."

A bird cooed in the moment of silence. However, the rest of the island seemed to hold it's breath. Waiting for what was coming next. Even the wind, that pushed the waves against the rocky land, had stopped its whistling. Ace's bit his lip.

"I'm-" He shook his head and turned behind him. "We're sorry we couldn't save you." That was all he said before quickly changing the subject. He unlatched the straw hat that hung from his belt and presented it to the stone. "I'm taking your treasure with us. That way you can pop in and out to check on us at sea. I promise that no harm will come to it."

Unknown to both brothers, Luffy sat behind them with a finger up his nose. He was no longer the size of an eight-year-old boy. It seemed that the youngest still grew along with the others. How this was possible, no one knows. Who would even dare question the world of spirits? Luffy had already determined himself as a mystery ghost long ago.

He sighed deeply, annoyed by Ace and Sabo's actions. "You guys do this every day. It's too sappy." Flopping onto his back, he laughed. "Besides! I'm sitting behind you. You're just talking to air. Silly Ace." His head turned onto its side, making it easier to look at the second oldest. "Don't you agree, Sabo?"

Of course, he didn't respond. Luffy could care less, being used to it after eight years. But this action was calming to the boy. It proved that his brothers were still there, even if they couldn't see him.

He continued to watch as Ace stood up and stepped away from the stone. Now, at the side of Sabo, they bowed respectfully. The two held caring smiles as they said their final goodbyes.

"We'll come back someday." They said, almost in sync.

Luffy sighed and practically yelled out a finally. As they started walking away on the small pathway down the cliff, the youngest jumped up to feet. He smiled, eyes wide with excitement. Not waiting another second, he raced after them. With the cliff so steep, he had meant to catch himself before he made a full impact with the back of the others, that however; didn't happen. He tried to skid his feet to a stop but the loose rocks caused him to become unsteady.

One moment he was running downhill, the next; he tumbling at high speeds. He passed by Ace and Sabo, screeching with each bump he rolled over. At a point, he was airborne only to abruptly crash into the sandy beach and bonking straight into a small boat.

"Ow," He rubbed his head, glaring at the boat. "Stupid boat!" He stuck his tongue out at it. He had gotten up just as his brothers arrived. "That was fun! I wanna do it again." He told nobody and gleefully laughed.

Looking back up the path, he wondered if he had time to race back up before they left. But he didn't. Sabo had already jumped aboard, organizing the bags they had brought. Ace was keeping the boat steady in the waves as he finished untying the rope. They were all ready to sail. While Luffy frowned at first, it was quickly brightened up at the thought of freedom. He took a deep, exciting breath and stepped onto the rocking boat.

"Set sail!" Ace called out, pushing the boat away from the shallow waters. He jumped in and patted the straw hat on his side with a smile. "Come visit soon Luffy."

Unknown to him and Sabo, Luffy didn't just pop in and out. He was there from the very beginning. He was always there with them.

He was there when they had gathered up the first members of the Spade Pirates. From a genius doctor to a master cook. A skilled sniper to a successful samurai. While vastly different from each other, they became closer than family in only a few weeks. But the ship soon became overcrowded, it wasn't big enough to hold three people, to begin with. So on the very next island, they arrived at, they pulled together any spare beli that laid around and purchased their first ship. Within the next hour, a black flag waved proudly at the highest point. That night they celebrated their new crew member. They laughed and drank late into the night. Luffy was with them, jumping and partying as if he was part of the pirate crew.

He was there when Ace had become flames. However, it was a very uneventful trip. The hiking trail they had taken into the forest was so long, that it caused Luffy to complain of his growing tiredness. Of course, it was more from his mindset rather than his non-exist physical body. Once they had finally found the rumored fruit, Ace barely took a second to dig his teeth in it. The youngest laughed hard as he spat out the foul taste, but in the end, Luffy smiled proudly at Ace.

He was with them when Ace had won his first battle.

But he was with them when Ace first lost a battle

He was with them when they had gotten separated on an island.

But he was with them when they finally reunited.

He was with them when they party throughout the night.

But he was with them when they had to bury those they had lost.

He was there for every battle, every loss, every hardship, and every death, unable to do anything. Unable to touch the physical world much less fight those who were a threat. He had to sit there, watching and flinching at every fatal blow and disaster. He was slowly breaking. Slowly breaking.

But he was with them every time they healed together. As they put their pieces back together, he did as well. Becoming more determined to find a way to help. To keep that promise he made that day. To protect his brothers.

Ace was breathing heavily. The fight between him and Jimbe had just come to an end. But a winner wasn't decided, it was a tie.

The boy flopped down, smiling. "You're a strong opponent."

"To you as well, Fire Fist. " The Fishman was also sitting down, trying to steady his breathing.

They sat and stared at each other, rather than continuing the conversation. At the edge of the woods, Sabo stood. While he was constantly muttering how much his brother was an idiot, he was relieved to see Ace was okay. Luffy was smiling brightly as well. A light breeze came, bringing in the salty scent of the sea.

Everyone wanted to bask the silence after the five-day battle. Still sitting away from the previous battleground, the spade pirates either slept or mindlessly played a game of cards. But of course, Luffy didn't exactly get the memo, even if he wasn't heard, he was cheerful retelling the fight in his own words. With exasperated sounds, he giggled playfully while hanging off of Sabo's arm.

Relaxation didn't last long though. First, it was the sound of the sloshing water that pulled in the crew's attention. An uneasiness swayed through them. Then, it was the deep booming voice of the strongest man in the world that had the men scurry in fearful panic.

"Which one of you brats wish to take my head?" The man stood on the Moby, radiating power. His smile seemed to mirror the white mustache he wore.

This is not going to end well, Sabo thought, grabbing his weapon. His eyes darted to his brother, who had just managed to clumsily push himself up. Don't insult him, Don't insult him. But his prayers went unanswered. Ace gave the towering man a shit-eating grin as he responded. All Sabo could do was smack his palm against his forehead.

Whitebeard jumped down from the ship, shaking the ground tremendously. A wall of fire flared up as a counter, separating the spade crew from their captain.

Of course, the members were a little more than freaked out. They crowded close to the fire without being in the way of the harmful flames. Their voices were raised and arguments started to heat up, a few even ran toward the sea to use the water. There was at least one sensible one, who looked toward Sabo for leadership. But the teen was still moping over the actions of his brother to do anything. And Luffy was too busy testing out the flames, sticking his hand in and out, not that he could contribute. All were completely lost.

When Ace's voice was heard behind the raging flames, they froze their panic. "Go! Get to the ship!"

"Running away so soon?" Most likely Whitebeard commented.

"Not at all, old man!" The smug look could almost be heard. "I'm letting my crew get away. They have nothing to do with this."

The conversation between them seemed to dwindle in volume, to the point the others could barely hear a whisper over the blaze. When the sound of fighting replaced it, the crew grew concerned, especially with not being able to see what was happening. A skidding thud came and the flames immediately died, like Ace has lost his control over it. The scene made everyone hold their breath.

Ace laid flat on his stomach, gripping the ground in pain. New cuts littered the boy's exposed skin and clothing ripped. Over him, stood Whitebeard.

"Ace!" Luffy had arrived at his brother's side in seconds. His hands held onto his shirt. "Ace!"

Trying to push himself up, Ace's arms buckled and landed painfully back on the jagged ground. He tried to stifle a groan, but it managed to slip out, scaring his invisible brother.

The old pirate captain raised his arm slightly. "Give up brat?"

"Not a chance." The black-haired boy chocked out.

Whitebeard raised his staff, ready to strike. But just as he was about to bring it down upon the spade captain, something managed to block its path. Sabo had jumped in-between at the right time, his pipe connecting with the staff. With a slight shake of the weapon, he struggled to block the power of the swing. A final burst pushed the boy feet way from the enemy.

"Don't you dare touch my brother." The blond growled out. He had his pipe raised in defense.

Behind him, Ace had reached out. "Sa-bo" He struggled to say, it coming out like a gasping cough. "Don't-"

"Idiot!" Sabo fiercely glared over his shoulder. "Did you forget our promise?!"

He cringed into himself and looked away. As if confirming he did in fact forget. Sabo rolled his eyes and turned his full attention to the towering man. Whitebeard was smiling, most likely coming to a conclusion.

"Who might you be, brat?" His voice boomed with curiosity.

Sabo smiled, a twinkle in his eye. "Just this moron's brother." His pipe twirled in his hand. "If you want to kill him you have to get through me."

Whitebeard once again raised up his staff. "So be it."

Just as the strike was about to be fulfilled, a wave of conqueror's haki washed over the surrounding pirates. The man paused.

While the haki felt strong, it did little to affect anyone. Almost like it came from a great distance.

Unknow to everyone. Luffy stood by his eldest brother, fist clenched in fear and eyes tightly shut. He screamed for Sabo.

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**The next chapter probably won't be out so soon. I haven't exactly figured out what I'm going to write. Just the main plot points but no way to get there. **

**Happy Holidays! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Dude. Finally. It's done.**

**Enjoy peeps.**

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The sun reflected off the highest point of the unmoving staff. Whitebeard had yet to lower his weapon, too busy wrapping his head around what had happened.

Could one of them really possess this kind of power? The man hummed as his eyes traveled the space between the brothers. The blast was definitely untrained and recently unlocked. How recent? Whitebeard could not tell, but it wasn't today. Perhaps, FireFist. He was near to losing consciousness, it would explain why it was so weak.

He glanced at his first in command, wishing to receive a second opinion. While the man's face remained neutral, his eyes darted once from the teen to his caption with one eyebrow raised. Knowing what Marco had inferred, he turned back to the boys.

He hummed, lowering his weapon. Now, more than ever, Whitebeard wanted to take them as his sons. They wouldn't agree to it easily, but it was still worth a civil conversion. "You still have some fire left, brats. How about you join me and become my sons?" He held out his hand to the closest brother.

It was the oldest who harshly responded, while the younger one tried to stifle a laugh. "No way, old man!"

Of course, the yonko just smiled and retracted his offering hand. That wasn't going to stop him. He could almost be as stubborn as a D. He wondered of the best way to 'surprise adopt' with minimal damage. A blast of his own haki was out, even with one close to unconsciousness, it would take more than one causing mental damage. Fighting would be a no go as well. Whitebeard could do serious damage without realizing.

He sighed. They would come out with minor scrapes, but it was the safest option.

The ground began to shake. Slowly at first. Something you would hardly notice. But then the surface became wobbly, like jello bouncing in place. It was the first major tremor that managed to knock Ace's arm from its steady stand. With the loss of the only thing keeping him upright, he crashed on the ground. His head hit the rock first, knocking him out almost instantly. However, just before everything became pitch black, he got a glimpse of his brother being thrown back by the quake.

The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was amazing.

"Thatch, Haruta," Whitebeard called out to the nearby commanders. "Get those two to the infirmary. Make sure their injuries aren't life-threatening."

"You got it, Oyaji!" The cook cheerfully replied back, already on his way to the teens.

The first commander, Marco, hung back; only slightly behind his captain. While the actions of the Spade captain and his first mate intrigued him, something told him that they weren't going to be easy to deal with. Whether enemies or soon-to-be brothers.

Needing to talk to the Spade crew, he spent the rest of the time on the island trying to convince the pirates to join the family along with their captain. In the end, Marco had gained a slight headache. But he was successful at getting the members aboard the Moby.

He returned back to his father's side, who had yet to return to the ship. Nearby, a group of his brothers were roughhousing and joking about. While he did roll his eyes, Marco was happy they were enjoying the short free time.

"What do you think?" The older man asked

The question was expected. However, it came sooner than normal. He glanced at Whitebeard from the corner of his eye. "Those two?" He allowed a pause, still trying to come to a conclusion from his earlier thoughts. "I'm…not sure, Oyaji. But they are going to troublemakers, that is for sure. Especially if Thatch gets to them first."

Oyaji laughed. His smile finally returned after the fight. "Only time will tell." The man took a step forward. "For now, it is best if we leave. The marines could be here soon."

"I'll gather up the others." Marco gave him a nod before walking off.

It wasn't extremely hard to get the straggling brothers back aboard the ship. All Marco had to do was herd them like sheep, standing just behind them until they got the silent message. There were a few who would try to make an escape but that only led them to be dragged by the collar behind the commander.

"Come on." Marco pushed the last remaining members up the plank. "We need to get moving."

As he ignored the coming grumbles, he caught a figure lingering near the edge of the tree line. Marco frowned. It was a boy, at least 12 years old. He looked a bit unsure, especially with his fidgeting. _He's probably from a nearby town. _The commander reasoned, not wanting to jump to conclusions. But just as he was about to leave it, the boy seemed to have come to a decision and made determined steps to the Moby.

Marco's eyes narrowed and frowned deepened. _Or not?_ He walked the rest of the way up the plank, trying to act like he didn't notice the boy right behind him.

_Could he be from Ace's crew? Would he even let someone that young? _He took one last glance at the kid.

_Something is up._

Luffy sat patiently in the corner near the door. A place where he could stay out of the way to another that entered the room. It wasn't much of a room anyway. More of a semi-large storage closet.

The brothers' injuries had been treated, but it was weird for them to be placed in there. Maybe they didn't have a medical room. Or maybe the pirates worried about what the boys would have done to the doctors and nurses. But that probably wasn't it, since no guards had been positioned in or around the room.

Luffy had no problem entertaining himself as he waited. He hummed a catchy tune he had created a few months ago, one about a potato stealing monster. Honestly, you would think with how much Luffy sang he would have improved greatly. But no, he still sounded the same. Not like he or anyone else would care.

Just as he was about to enter a fourth round of the song, Ace abruptly sat up with a gasp. "Huh.." It took time before he was fully conscious. The youngest's smile brightened.

"Good morning"

Luffy flinched back in shock. He was so distracted that he did not notice Sabo had woken himself while also managing to get hold of a dusty book from a nearby shelf.

"Where are we?" Ace brushed back his bed head. He blinked away moister in his eyes.

"Another pirate ship."

He turned fast, almost causing whiplash. "A pirate ship! The enemies pirate ship?" Eyes were wide with disbelief. "Why didn't you wake me?!"

Sabo sighed. "Obviously they want something. Since we are in a room. If they didn't, they would've just killed us." He paused in turning a page of the book. "Or thrown us into the brig."

"Take things seriously!" Ace groaned

"I am." He responded, effectively ending the conversation.

Luffy's smile had only grown. He happily hopped over to Ace. "I think this ship is really cool! Like a whole new adventure! While I was following you guys, I saw a lot of cool people! There was a guy with a big top hat and another one with bread hair. One even had….had..." He umed, trying to find the right sounding word. "Pineapple! He had pineapple hair!" Eyes fell a bit as Ace only flopped onto the bed in response.

But he kept going. "You guys were asleep for very long so I explored a lot. This place is huge! There's even a big chair out of the deck. Probably for the banana captain. I also found a kitchen! Bigger than the one we have! There were so many cooks too. And they all were cooking some really good meat! I miss the meat. I wish I could try some. But you'll get to try it! You'll tell me how good it is. Right, Sabo?" Looking at Sabo over his shoulder, he giggled.

There wasn't much to say anymore. It stayed silent for a while. Every now and then creaking wood would come but leave as soon as it did.

Sabo continued reading, not looking up. "You're pouting again, aren't you Ace?"

"Shut up." Ace growled, arm resting over his face.

Of course, Luffy laughed loudly at his brothers.

But then, his brothers sat up sudden and tense.

The youngest froze. He thought for a moment. For just a moment. "Can you h-"

Behind him, the door had opened with a loud echoing bang. In the opening stood a man. One that Luffy recognized as the bread hair he saw earlier.

Bread hair was as loud as the door. He was smiling as he pulled the boys out of the room. "Finally you woke up! Come on, everyone has been waiting to meet you two."

"Wait! Wait, hold on!" Ace struggled against the pulling of his arm. His feet dragged on the ground trying to slow the action. "Who the hell are you?! Let go!"

Sabo was on the other side of the man. He grumbled over the loss of the book. However, didn't put up as much of a fight as his brother. Hands did try to loosen the other's grip but no for long.

"I'm the head cook and the fourth commander. You can call me Thatch." He happily sang about it. His steps never once faltering. "It's been a whole day since you guys arrived! You can't be held up in the room forever."

Ace just glared in response, hissing out a 'try me'. Sabo rolled his eyes. The last brother traveled close behind. While confused, he laughed the whole time

"Marco!" Thatch lifted his hand in the air to wave someone over, all the while bringing the other arm stuck in the grip. "I think it's best to start with Marco. Since he's the first commander."

"Start what?" The blond had freed his wrist and was straightening his hat against his head. A glance was spared toward the approaching figure.

Thatch had finally turned to face the two. He rubbed his chin. "Did I forget to mention that? Ah well, I'm introducing our new brothers!"

Shoulders tensed and glares formed; or deepened in Ace's cause. However, the older man never noticed. While he rambled excitedly, a firey fist flared up and another had reached out only to be stopped by Sabo.

"Commander," Sabo finally caught the attention of Thatch. "Please reframe from using that word."

"What?" The chef's eye widened a small fraction. "Brothers?...I"

Sabo's free hand clenched tightly. Make eye contact, he gave a strained smile. "Yes."

For whatever reason, Thatch stilled. His mouth opened and closed like a blabbering fish, struggling to say anything.

Before he could, Marco beat him to it. "Close your mouth Thatch. You're going to catch flies."

"But...I..they….it-"

He ignored his idiot brother and studied the teens near him. The tension in the shoulders still held. The two looked ready to flee at a moment noticed. "What do you do, Thatch?" Rubbing his head, annoyance shinned through.

The one in question huffed, shoulders sagged. "I didn't do anything! It was-"

Marco, however, rolled his eyes. He cut him off with a quick subject change. "Why did you call me over?"

"I wanted to introduce you to these two-"

"There's three."

Thatch had to do a double-take. A response came out slowly. "Marco….there are only two."

The commander sighed out. "I can count. This isn't the time for your pranks." Arms were crossed making him look more and more like a disappointed father.

"Do you think that little of me?!" Thatch's face fell, though some playful features stayed. "Only two. One. Two." He pointed to each teen, eyes not leaving his brother's face.

While they continued arguing, the other pair stood frozen solid. They peeked at each other, worried terror presence on each. 'Does he know?' Ace mouth to Sabo, who in return only shrugged and turned back to the conversation.

"I can see perfectly fine. There is a third kid on the other side of Ace." Marco pointed in that direction. "He's shorter than them and has the same black hair as Ace. There's also a scar under-"

He never got to finish. The spade captain had lashed out, only inches from reaching Marco and being held back by the blond.

Sabo held a blank face, one almost as nerve-wracking as the glare from Ace. "If you know what's best," He paused to pull back the other further. "I suggest you stop talking."

Marco raised an eyebrow, but listened and shut his mouth. The air around the four was extremely tense.

"I don't know anything about a third, but you should know not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong." Pulling Ace away, they walked away at a hurried pace.

Thatch chased after them, calling to slow down. Marco was left standing there alone. Mostly.

Luffy had stood to the side during the whole interaction, un-sure what to think. His eyes lingered on his retreating brothers before looking straight at the phoenix. The man was also doing the same. They held gazes for, what felt like, ever.

Even based on the conversation, Luffy held very little hope of being actually seen. But something was up. The boy ran after his brothers without a word. He took one last look at Marco before fulling disappearing into the surrounding pirate crew.

_I might be wrong. Maybe he can see me. _Luffy hummed.

* * *

**Hey! Sorry, it took forever. I was failing math for months and then the whole corona thing happened. But I hope you like it.**

**I was trying to write it in Luffy's perspective in the second half, but I gave up halfway through. But It is good, the I'm good.**

**While I was trying to write this chapter, I came up with an alternate timeline for Ghost Luffy. I can't get enough of him lol.**  
**So instead of following his brothers, Luffy left the island at seventeen and basically created an unofficial crew. Like he met everyone the same way but no one could see him. They all just kept filling this tug and they all just kept following it because sometimes the tug was really strong and demanding. Like they followed it around islands and on to the ships, like going merry, and just lived like that. And they become a pirate crew after the arlong arc because of a bounty placed on them. They became an unofficial pirate crew because none really define themselves as pirates. But everyone around them calls them the Ghost Pirates because they don't have a captain or a pirate flag so it seems like its a ghost ship. But luffy is just kinda running things behind the scenes, as he named himself the captain. Then it goes on from there. Maybe I should write this...I call it "It is fate, It is destiny" because the tug they feel its like basically fate.**

**I probably won't write this...It's up for grabs for anyone who is struggling with ideas.**


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